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THE ILLINI : A Stort of the
Prairies. With many portraits.
Suelh Edition. 8vo, $2.00 net. '
S,
A. C. McCldrg & Co., Publishers
Chicago
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Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2010 with funding from
The Institute of IVIuseum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant
http://www.archive.org/details/lincolnatgettysb01carr
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Lincoln at Gtetttsburg
BY
CLARK E. CARR
AUTHOK OF "the ILLINi"
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1906
COPYBIGHT, 1906
By CLARK E. CARR
Published September 22, 1906
ri)f Uaferefftt ^rfSB
DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY
CHICAGO
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Portrait of Abraham Lincoln Frontispiece
Portrait of General Eobert E. Lee . 6
Portrait of Governor Andrew G.
Curtin 10
Map of the Soldiers' National Cem-
etery, Gettysburg . . 16
Portrait of John Hay . . .26
The National Monument at Gettys-
burg Cemetery . . . 34
Portrait of Edward Everett . . 40
Portrait of General George G. Meade 46
Portrait of William H. Seward . 62
Portrait of John G. Nicolay . . 74
A Wmxh
CT^HE essential features of this work
were brought out hy me in an ad-
dress delivered January 25, 1906,
hefore the Illinois State Historical
Society at Springfield, in the State
Capitol. The address attracted con-
siderable attention and I have been
frequently called upon to repeat it. So
much interest has been manifested in it
that I have been constrained to revise
it and to enlarge its scope beyond the
limits of an ordinary address, and
thus publish it in book form.
The members of the Commission
who had charge of the Gettysburg
National Cemetery xohen the consecra-
tion ceremonies were held, had all, at
that time, except myself, either entered
A WORD
upon or passed middle life, while I
was hut twenty-seven years old, and I
now knX)io of no other survivor than
myself. If, after the lapse of nearly
half a century , there he another, I shall
he glad to hear from him, in the hope
that he may he ahle to add his recollec-
tions of the interesting event to my
own. C. E. C.
GALESBURG, ILL.,
June 30, 1906.
LINCOLN AT GETTTSBUEG
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBUKG
^\a KhhxtBB
THIOUR score and seven years
-■■ ago our fathers brought
forth upon this continent a new
nation, conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a
great civil war, testing whether
that nation, or any nation, so
conceived and so dedicated, can
long endure. We are met on a
great battlefield of that war.
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
We are met to dedicate a po r-
tion of it as the final resting
place of those who here gave
their lives that that nation
might live. It is altogether fit-
ting and proper that we should
do this.
But, in a larger sense, we
cannot dedicate — we cannot
consecrate — we cannot hallow
this ground. The brave men,
living and dead, who struggled
here, have consecrated it far
above our power to add or de-
tract. The world will little
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
note, nor long remember, what
we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here. It
is for us, the living, rather to
be dedicated here to the unfin-
ished work that they have thus
far so nobly carried on. It is
rather for us to be here dedi-
cated to the great task remain-
ing before us, — that from these
honored dead we take increased
devotion to the cause for which
they gave the last full measure
of devotion, — that we here
highly resolve that the dead
[3] ~
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
shall not have died in vain;
that the nation shall, under
God, have a new birth of free-
dom, and that the government
of the people, by the people, and
for the people, shall not perish
from the earth.
[4]
LINCOLN AT GETTTSBUKG
THE BATTLE
THE battle of Gettysburg
was fought on the first,
second, and third of July, 1863.
The Confederate army, under
the command of General Eobert
E. Lee, elated with success, had
entered Pennsylvania, menacing
Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Bal-
timore, and Washington. Even
New York was threatened, for,
had the advance of Lee not been
checked, the great metropolis
would have been at his mercy,
and there can be little doubt
but that the Southern rebellion
would have been successful.
[5]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
Under these circumstanoes, with
the invading hordes upon them,
the consternation and terror of
the loyal people of Pennsylvania
can be better imagined than
described. That this invasion
of the North was not successful
is due to the heroism and forti-
tude of the Union soldiers, who,
under the command of General
George G. Meade, met the in-
vader in mortal combat, and,
after three days of desperate
fighting, in which many thou-
sands were killed and a vast
number wounded, hurled him
back across the border, never
to return.
ILLINOIS OPENED THE BATTLE
It is not generally known
[6]
GENERAL EGBERT E. LEE
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
that Illinois soldiers were the
first to meet the onset of the
enemy and fired the first shot
in the great battle. . This is the
fact, brought out clearly by
Colonel William Gamble, of the
Eighth Illinois cavalry, in a
letter to the Honorable William
L. Church and myself, March
10, 1864, the truth of which,
so far as I know, has not been
questioned. This regiment be-
longed to Buford's cavalry di-
vision, and fired the first shot
in meeting and checking the
advance of the Confederates
under General A. P. Hill. This
shot precipitated and brought
on the three days' conflict
which turned the tide of war.
[7]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
THE NATIONAL CEMETERY
Scarcely had the reverber-
ations of the guns of the battle
died away when the Hon-
orable David Wills, a citizen
of Gettysburg, wrote to the
Honorable Andrew G. Curtin,
the great war Governor of Penn-
sylvania, suggesting that a plat
of ground in the midst of the
battlefield be at once purchased
and set apart as a soldiers' na-
ional cemetery, and that the re-
mains of the dead be exhumed
and placed in this cemetery.
He suggested that the ground to
be selected should be on what
was known as Cemetery Hill, so
called because adjoining it is the
local cemetery of Gettysburg.
[8]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
WHY CEMETEEY HILL WAS
SELECTED
As a reason wLy that ground
should be chosen, Mr. Wills
said : " It is the place where our
army had about forty pieces of
artillery in action all Thursday
and Friday, and for their pro-
tection had thrown up a large
number of earthworks. It is
the point where the desperate
attack was made by the Louis-
iana brigades on Thursday eve-
ning, when taking possession
of them, and were finally driven
back by the infantry, assisted
by the artillerymen with their
handspikes and rammers. It
was the key to the whole line
of defences, the spot of the
[9]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
triangular line of battle. It is
the spot above all others for
the honorable burial of the
dead who have fallen on these
fields."
Governor Curtin at once ap-
proved of the recommendation
of Mr. Wills, and correspond-
ence was opened with the gov-
ernors of the loyal States
whose troops had engaged in
the battle, asking them to co-
operate in the movement. The
grounds proposed by Mr. Wills,
seventeen acres, which em-
braced the highest point of
Cemetery Hill, and overlooked
the whole battlefield, were at
once purchased.
The governors of fifteen of the
[10]
GOVERNOR ANDREW G. CURTIN
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
States immediately responded,
foremost among whom was
lUinois's great war Governor,
known and recognized every-
where as " the soldiers' friend,"
Richard Yates.
THE CEMETEEY INCOEPOEATED
The Legislature of Pennsyl-
vania passed an act incorporat-
ing *'The Soldiers' National
Cemetery," naming one trustee
for each State cooperating,
who was suggested by its Gov-
ernor. I was named for Illi-
nois.
When the first meeting was
held, supposing that each State
would have two on the board,
the Governor appointed the
Honorable William L. Church,
[11]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
of Chicago, then clerk of the Cir-
cuit Court and recorder of Cook
county, and myself, and to-
gether we attended the first
meeting, after which I alone
represented Illinois on the
board. When Governor Yates
retired from the executive
office, I was reappointed by
Governor Oglesby. The board
was organized by the election
of Mr. David Wills of Gettys-
burg — who had initiated the
movement — president, and Mr.
John K. Bartlett, Secretary of the
State of Ehode Island, also one
of our commissioners, secretary.
FIEST NATIONAL CEMETEEY
It must be remembered that
when this board was establish-
[12]
LINCQLlSr AT GETTYSBURG
ed the general Government had
not entered upon, nor even con-
sidered, the policy of establish-
ing soldiers' national cemeter-
ies. This came afterwards, and
I think that the suggestion of
such a policy came from the
Soldiers' National Cemetery at
Gettysburg. Our board con-
tinued in charge there until
the Government system was in-
augurated. We then turned the
cemetery over to the general
Government, which, having a
fund for that purpose, has
since cared for it. As is the
case with the other national
cemeteries, an officer of the
army and a squad of men are
always kept there in charge.
[13]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
The appropriations given us
by the different States amount-
ed in the aggregate to nearly a
hundred and forty thousand dol-
lars, Illinois contributing, not-
withstanding the small number
of our dead buried there, — only
six,— $11,774.84. Illinois had
but three regiments in the bat-
tle, the Eighth and Twelfth
cavalry and the Eighty-second
infantry.
The first action necessary,
after the movement to inaugu-
rate a national cemetery had
been determined upon and the
ground purchased, was to lay
out a plat for graves, and to
take up and remove the re-
mains of the dead, which were
[14]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
scattered over a radius of many
miles. The dead had been
hastily buried in the fields
where they had fallen, and
bodies were frequently found
with scarcely any covering.
THE CEMETERY LAID OUT
The cemetery was laid out in
the form of a half-circle, the
centre of which was reserved
for the imposing monument
which has since been reared,
from which the half-circles of
the graves radiate, the inner
half-circle, of course, being
very small, and the half-circles
increasing in length and capac-
ity as they extended. On this
inner semicircle — that nearest
[15]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the monument — I was able to
have placed the Illinois section,
which, of course, is very small.
On one side of our Illinois sec-
tion is a large one, containing
the graves of the unknown,
and on the other that of the
State of Virginia. It was upon
the ground in the centre re-
served for the monument that
the platform from which the
addresses were delivered was
placed. This platform fronted
away from the cemetery proper,
giving room for the vast audi-
ence of people in front of and
facing it, to be near to, but not
upon, the graves.
At the head of every grave
was placed a headstone of gran-
[16]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the monument — I was able to
have placed the Illinois section,
which, of course, is very small.
On one side of our Illinois sec-
tion is a large one, containing
the graves of the unknown,
and on the other that of the
State of Virginia. It was upon
the ground in the centre re-
served for the monument that
the platform from which the
addresses were delivered was
placed. This platform fronted
away from the cemetery proper,
giving room for the vast audi-
ence of people in front of and
facing it, to be near to, but not
upon, the graves.
At the head of every grave
was placed a headstone of gran-
[16]
MAP OF
THE GROUNDS
and
DESIGN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT
THE SOLDIERS' NATIONAL CEMETERY
GETTYSBURG, PA.
1863
WILLIAM SAUNDERS
Landscape Gaidener. Germantown. Penu.
FROM THR BOOK ISSUED BY THE COMMISSIONERS OF THK SOLDIERS' NATIONAL CEMETERY, IS74
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
ite, rising nine inches above the
ground, upon which was sculp-
tured the name, company, and
regiment of each soldier, so far
as could be ascertained, while
those who could not be identi-
fied were marked, "unknown."
Of the known there were 2,585,
and of the unknown 979, making
in the aggregate 3,564. Large
as this number is, it does not
nearly represent the number of
fatalities among the Union
soldiers. Many of the wounded
died in the hospitals and else-
where, and the remains of quite
a large number had been re-
moved from the field by rela-
tives and friends and taken to
their respective homes.
[17]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
DEDICATOEY EXEECISES
PEOPOSED
It was proposed, as the work
proceeded, that memorial ded-
icatory exercises be held to
consecrate this sacred ground,
which was finally determined
upon. The day first fixed upon
for these exercises was the
twenty-third of October, 1863.
EDWAED EVEEETT INVITED TO
DELIVEE THE OEATION
The Honorable Edward Ever-
ett, of Massachusetts, was then
regarded as the greatest living
American orator, and it was
decided to invite him to deliver
the oration; and this was done.
But he replied that it was wholly
out of his power to make the
[18]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
necessary preparation by the
twenty-third of October. So
desirous were we all to have
Mr. Everett, that the dedication
was postponed to Thursday, the
nineteenth of November, 1863,
— nearly a month, — to suit Mr.
Everett's convenience. The ded-
ication took place on that day.
INVITATIONS SENT TO PRESIDENT
LINCOLN AND OTHERS
A formal invitation to be
present was sent to the Presi-
dent of the United States and
his cabinet, to Major General
George G. Meade, who com-
manded our troops in the battle
of Gettysburg, and to the of-
ficers and soldiers who had par-
ticipated in, and gained, the
[19]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
memorable victory. Invitations
were also sent to the venerable
Lieutenant General Winfield
Scott and to Admiral Charles
Stewart, the distinguished and
time honored representatives of
the army and navy, to the dip-
lomatic corps, representing for-
eign governments, to the mem-
bers of both Houses of Congress,
and to other distinguished per-
sonages.
All these invitations and all
arrangements for the dedicatory
exercises — as was the case with
everything relating to the cem-
etery — were considered and de-
cided upon by our board of
Commissioners, and were, in so
far as he was able, under the
[20]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
direction of the board, carried
into e£fect by Mr. Wills, our
president. As we were all rep-
resenting and speaking for the
governors of our respective
States, by whom we were ap-
pointed, we made all the in-
vitations in their names.
ASKING LINCOLN TO SPEAK WAS
AN AFTEETHOUGHT
The proposition to ask Mr.
Lincoln to speak at the Gettys-
burg ceremonies was an after-
thought. The President of the
United States had, like the
other distinguished personages,
been invited to be present, but
Mr. Lincoln was not, at that
time, invited to speak. In fact,
it did not seem to occur to any
[21]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
one tliat he could speak upon
such an occasion.
Scarcely any member of the
board, excepting the member
representing Illinois, had ever
heard him speak at all, and no
other member had ever heard,
or read from him, anything ex-
cept political discussion. When
the suggestion was made that
he be invited to speak, while
all expressed high appreciation
of his great abilities as a polit-
ical speaker, as shown in his
debates with Senator Douglas,
and in his Cooper Institute ad-
dress, the question was raised
as to his ability to speak upon
such a grave and solemn occa-
sion as that of the memorial
[22]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
services. Besides, it was said
that, with his important duties
and responsibilities, he could
not possibly have the leisure
to prepare an address for such
an occasion. In answer to this
it was urged that he himself,
better than any one else, could
determine as to these questions,
and that, if he were invited to
speak, he was sure to do what,
under the circumstances, would
be right and proper.
It must be remembered that
Mr. Lincoln had not then proved
to the world his ability to speak
upon such an occasion. He
had not yet made a Gettysburg
address, and he had not then
made that other great address,
[23]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
which for sublimity and pathos,
ranks next to it, his second in-
augural.
LINCOLN NOT INVITED TO SPEAK
UNTIL SIX WEEKS AFTER
MR EVERETT
It was finally decided to ask
President Lincoln ''after the
oration" (that is to say, after
Mr. Everett's oration), as chief
executive of the nation, "to set
apart formally these grounds to
their sacred use by a few appro-
priate remarks." This was done,
in the name of the governors of
the States, as was the case with
others, by Mr. Wills; but the
invitation was not settled upon
and sent to Mr. Lincoln until
the second of November, more
[24]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
than six weeks after Mr. Ever-
ett had been invited to speak,
and but a little more than two
weeks before the exercises were
held.
The President arrived at Get-
tysburg upon a special train
about dusk on the evening be-
fore the exercises, November
18, accompanied by Secretary
Seward and other distinguished
personages, including those two
Illinois boys who afterwards
became distinguished — John G.
Nicolay, his private secretary,
and his assistant private secre-
tary, John Hay. He was driven
at once to the residence of Mr.
Wills, where he was entertained
during his stay in the town.
[25]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
We all, headed by a brass
band, marched to Mr. Wills' s
house and serenaded Mr. Lin-
coln, who appeared upon the
veranda, but said little more
than to excuse himself from
speaking. After this we sere-
naded Secretary Seward, who
made quite an extended ad-
dress, and afterwards we sere-
naded others, who also spoke.
WHEN AND WHEEE LINCOLN
PEEPAEED THE ADDEESS
As to the time and manner
of preparation of President
Lincoln's address, I think that
the best authority is that of
Mr. Nicolay, who published an
article on "Lincoln's Gettys-
burg Address," which I find in a
[26]
JOHN HAY
LINCOLN A T GETTYSBU RG
bound volume of "The Century
Magazine," running from Nov-
ember, 1893, to April, 1894.
After saying that there is no
decisive record of when Mr.
Lincoln wrote the first sen-
tences of his proposed address,
Mr. Nicolay speaks of Mr. Lin-
coln's usual custom of "using
great deliberation in arranging
his thoughts and moulding his
phrases, mentally, waiting to
reduce them to writing until
they had taken satisfactory
form."
THE ADDEESS NOT INTENDED
TO BE LONG
There was greater necessity
of precaution in this case, be-
cause the invitation specified
[27]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
that the address should only
be " a few appropriate remarks."
After saying that "brevity in
speech and writing was one of
Lincoln's marked characteris-
tics," and that "Mr. Everett
would be quite certain to make
a long address, "and after speak-
ing of "the want of opportunity
for Mr. Lincoln even to think
leisurely," Mr. Nicolay con-
cludes the remark by saying:
"All this strongly confirms the
correctness of the statement
made by the Honorable James
Speed, in an interview published
in the 'Louisville Commercial,'
in November, 1870, that the
President told him that the day
before he left Washington he
[28]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
found time to write about half
of the speech."
PEEPARATION OF THE ADDEESS
COMPLETED
Mr. Mcolay continues as fol-
lows: "It was after the breakfast
hour, on the morning of the
nineteenth (the day the address
was delivered), that the writer,
Mr. Lincoln's private secretary,
went to the upper room in the
home of Mr. Wills, which
Mr. Lincoln occupied, to re-
port for duty, and remained
with the President while he
finished writing the Gettysburg
address, during the short leisure
he could utilize for this purpose
before being called to take his
place in the procession, which
[29]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
was announced on tlie pro-
gramme to move at ten o'clock.
"There is neither record
evidence nor well founded
tradition," Mr. Nicolay contin-
ues, ** that Mr. Lincoln did any-
writing or made any notes on
the journey between Washing-
ton and Gettysburg. The train
consisted of four passenger
coaches, and either composition
or writing would have been ex-
tremely troublesome amid the
movement, the noise, the con-
versation, the greetings and the
questionings which ordinary
courtesy required him to under-
go in these surroundings ; but,
still worse would have been
the rockings and joltings of
[30]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the train, rendering writing
virtually impossible. Mr. Lin-
coln carried in his pocket the
autograph manuscript of so
much of his address as he had
written at Washington the day
before."
THEEE YEESIONS OF THE
ADDEESS
Mr. Nicolay's article contains
a facsimile reproduction of the
address, which, as he declares,
he then " for the first time made
public and printed in this
article, one page of which is
written in ink in the Presi-
dent's strong, clear hand, with-
out blot or erasure, and the
remaining pages written with
a pencil. The latter were no
[31]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
doubt written at Gettysburg."
Mr. Nicolay says that there
are three versions of authority
for Lincoln's Gettysburg ad-
dress:
First — The original auto-
graph manuscript draft, writ-
ten by Mr. Lincoln, partly at
Washington and partly at
Gettysburg.
This is the version to which
reference is made above.
Second — The version made
by the shorthand reporter on
the stand at Gettysburg, when
the President delivered it, which
was telegraphed and was print-
ed in the leading newspapers of
the country on the following
morning.
[32]
LINCOLN J\T GETTYSBURG
Third — The revised copy
made by the President a few
days after his return to Wash-
ington, upon a careful compari-
son of his original draft, and
the printed newspaper version,
with his own recollections of the
exact form in which he deliv-
ered it.
AUTHENTIC TEXT OF THE
ADDEESS
Mr. Mcolay says that ''four
days after Mr. Lincoln's return
to Washington," Mr. Wills,
president of our board of Com-
missioners, wrote him "on be-
half of the States interested in
the National Cemetery here,"
requesting "the original manu-
script of the dedicatory remarks
[33]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
delivered by you here last Mon-
day, — we desire them to be
placed with the correspondence
and other papers connected
with the project"; and that, to
comply with this request, the
President, after comparing the
"Associated Press report as it
appeared in the newspapers
with his original draft," made
a new autograph copy — a care-
ful and deliberate revision —
which has become the standard
and authentic text. It will be
observed that four days after
he spoke at Gettysburg Mr.
Wills designated the produc-
tion as merely "dedicatory re-
marks." I have in my pos-
session a book published by the
[34]
THE NATIONAL MONUMENT AT
GETTYSBURG CEMETERY
LINCOLN AT GETTYS BURG
secretary of our board of Com-
missioners, under the direction
and at the expense of the board,
entitled " The Soldiers' National
Cemetery at Gettysburg," which
contains the address made from
that copy. It does not differ
from those generally published.
CEOWDS COME TO THE
DEDICATION
New York, Philadelphia, Bal-
timore, Washington, Pittsburg,
and all the towns and country
round about were represented
at the dedicatory exercises.
It was estimated that there
were a hundred thousand people
who attended. The crowds be-
gan to arrive two days before
the exercises were held. I went
[35]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
over from Harrisburg on the
day before and rode from there
in a box freight car, which was
seated with rough boards for
the occasion. I think that most
of the passengers had similar
accommodation, as the passen-
ger coaches could not begin to
carry the people who attended.
The town, which then had a
population of about two thou-
sand, did not begin to be able
to take care of the people, many
of whom sat up all night.
Fortunately for us, Mr. Wills had
reserved quarters for the mem-
bers of our board at the hotel.
THE PROCESSION
It was expected that there
would be a great number in a
[36]
LINCO LN AT GETTYSBURG
procession to follow the Presi-
dent's party to the grounds, in
which we were disappointed, as
most of the people chose to go
out by themselves over the
battlefield and through the cem-
etery.
At about ten o'clock in the
morning President Lincoln ap-
peared at the door of Mr. Wills's
house. Horses had been pro-
vided for him and his party,
and for some other distinguished
personages, and for the mem-
bers of the board of Commis-
sioners. The procession was
delayed for some time by people
pressing forward to shake hands
with the President after he was
mounted upon his horse, which
[37]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
continued until stopped by the
marshals.
Following those already men-
tioned came civic and military
organizations on foot, and final-
ly the people at large. One of
the most interesting features
of the procession was a large
company of veteran soldiers
who had been wounded in the
battle.
The procession was under
the direction of Major General
Couch, marshal of the day.
THE PEESIDENT AS HE APPEAEED
ON THE MAECH
President Lincoln, as we
moved slowly forward, sat at
first erect upon his horse, hand-
ling the reins of the bridle in
[38]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the white gauntlet gloves he
wore, in such a stately and dig-
nified manner as to make him
appear the Commander-in-chief
of the army and navy of the
United States, which he was.
Before he reached the grounds
he was bent forward, his arms
swinging, his body limp, and his
whole frame swaying from side
to side. He had become so
absorbed in thought that he
took little heed of his surround-
ings and was riding just as he
did over the circuit in Illinois,
during the years of his early
practice of law, with his saddle
bags, which contained all of his
possessions, dangling upon each
side of his horse.
[39]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
Seats were reserved on the
platform for the President, the
board of Commissioners, and
the invited guests.
I have no recollection of
when Mr. Everett reached Get-
tysburg nor of how he got out
to the grounds, but I distinctly
remember that we waited for
him a half-hour before the
exercises commenced, during
which the bands of music play-
ed airs that were solemn and
impressive.
THE OPENING EXERCISES
The exercises were opened
with an invocation by the Rev.
Dr. Stockton, who was, I think,
then chaplain of the United
States Senate. Letters of regret
[40]
HON. EDWARD EVERETT
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
were read from General George
G. Meade, who commanded our
troops in the great battle and
who was still in command of
the army at the front; from
the venerable General Winfield
Scott, and others; after which
Mr. Everett was introduced and
began his oration.
ME. EVERETT'S ORATION
Volumes have been written
upon Mr. Everett's address,
many of them in a vein of
unfriendly criticism, especially
contrasting his long and studied
speech with the short and pun-
gent sentences of Mr. Lincoln.
Every just and fair person
who intelligently reads that
oration must rise from its pe-
[41]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
rusal with a feeling that few
efforts of ancient or modern
times, in splendors of metaphor,
classical lore, elegance of dic-
tion, lofty sentiments, and clear
and logical reasoning, surpass
it. He drew inspiration from
the orators of Greece, at the
fountain of whose eloquence he
had drank, being able to read
their productions in the lan-
guage through whose match-
less purity and elegance and
strength they had been given
to the world.
DESCKIBES A CEMETERY PRE-
PAEED EOR GRECLIN
HEROES
He took us at the outset to
the wonderful Ceramicus in a
[42]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
most beautiful suburb of Ath-
ens, ''adorned by Cimon the
son of Miltiades, with walks
and fountains and columns,
whose groves were filled with
altars and shrines and temples,
whose gardens were kept for-
ever green by the streams from
neighboring hills, whose path-
ways gleamed with the monu-
ments of the illustrious dead, the
work of the most consummate
masters that ever gave life to
marble." He told of "the votive
offerings laid upon the coffins
of the dead, — flowers, weapons,
precious ornaments, painted
vases, wonders of art, which
after two thousand years,
adorn the museums of Europe ;
[43]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
and of himself, "after an inter-
val of twenty-three centuries, a
youthful pilgrim from the world
unknown to ancient Greece,"
visiting that holy ground. He
told of how, when funeral ob-
sequies were held in this won-
derful Ceramicus, "beneath the
over-arching plane trees, upon
a lofty stage erected for the
purpose, it was ordained that
a funeral oration should be pro-
nounced by some citizen of
Athens in presence of the as-
sembled multitude."
EULOGIZES THE HEEOES OF
THE CIVIL WAK
After thus eloquently por-
traying the beauties of that won-
derful cemetery, and recalling
[44]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the exercises held over the dead
heroes of the Peloponnesian
war, who met and triumphant-
ly hurled back the enemy, Mr.
Everett even more eloquently
pronounced a eulogium upon
the dead heroes of the Union
Army who so heroically met
and overcame the invader, and
now slept beneath and about
us, whose glories we were as-
sembled to commemorate.
This led the orator to a nar-
rative of the events of the cam-
paign until the clash of arms
came upon the field about us,
in the centre of which we were,
and of the awful struggle and
carnage of the three days of
conflict.
[45]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
ME. EVEEETT'S ACCOUNT OF THE
BATTLE OF GETTYSBUEG
It has been said that, were
every official report and every
printed word in regard to the
battle of Gettysburg, except
Mr. Everett's oration, destroyed,
in its pages would be preserved
to posterity such a lucid and
concise account of the great
battle as would make every
important movement of every
command perfectly clear.
Mr. Everett had asked for
and received from General
Meade and other officers, ac-
counts of the battle. He had
read all the official reports that
were available, and had him-
self, after he accepted the
[46]
GENERAL GEORGE G. MEADE
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
invitation to speak, come to
Gettysburg and visited every
portion of the field, remaining
several days; and so perfectly
and completely did lie picture
the onset, the falling back, the
desperate assault, and resist-
ance of every corps and divi-
sion, and almost every brigade
of both armies, for every hour
and almost every moment of
those three days of desperate
fighting, that, as he spoke, one
could almost see the move-
ments.
SUMMAEY OF THE CASUALTIES
In concluding his account of
the battle, Mr. Everett gave a
summary of the casualties as
follows :
[47]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
"On the Union side there
fell, in the whole campaign,
of generals killed — Reynolds,
Weed, and Zook; wounded —
Barlow, Barnes, Butterfield,
Doubleday, Gibbon, Graham,
Hancock, Sickles, and Warren;
while of officers below the rank
of general, and men, there were
2,834 killed, 13,709 wounded
and 6,643 missing. On the
Confederate side there were
killed on the field or mortal-
ly wounded — Generals Armi-
stead, Barksdale, Garnett, Pen-
der, Pettigrew, and Semms;
wounded, Heth, Hood, Johnson,
Kemper, Kimball, and Trimble.
Of officers below the rank of
general, and men, there were
[48]
LINCOLN A T GETTYSBURG
taken prisoners, including the
wounded, 13,621 — an amount
ascertained officially. The
wounded in a condition to be
removed, and the killed, and
the missing (of whom no re-
turn has been made), are esti-
mated at 23,000."
The published oration, which
appears in the book to which I
have already referred, is illus-
trated with a map of the field.
When Mr. Everett spoke, the
field itself was before and about
him, and his audience and he
needed no other map. There
is no better guide-book to the
battle of Gettysburg than Ed-
ward Everett's oration.
[49]
LINCOLNAT GETTYSBURG
MR. EVEEETT'S SECOND HOUR
It would be supposed that
any orator, after giving such an
account of the battle — which
was necessarily very extended
— in such a presence, with the
ablest and most brilliant men
of the age about him, with the
President of the United States
sitting near, waiting to speak
— it would be supposed that he
would have then drawn his
oration to a close. Not so ! Mr.
Everett was the orator of the
day, and he went on for another
hour, every hearer interested
and absorbed in the sublime
sentiments he enunciated, none
more so than the President.
[50]
LINCOLN ATGETTYSBURG
THE NORTH NOT RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE WAR
He called to account the
''hard-hearted men whose cruel
lust of power brought this des-
olating war upon the land."
He showed who were responsi-
ble for all this carnage, and
blood, and sorrow, and despair.
He showed that it all came from
envy and ambition, for which
there was, and could be, no
justification.
He pictured the dire conse-
quences that would have fol-
lowed had the enemy succeeded
in that battle; that it would
have resulted in the overthrow
of the nation and in blighting
the last hope of free government.
[51]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
ATTEMPTS OF THOSE RESPONSI-
BLE TO JUSTIFY THEMSELVES
He referred to tLe attempt
made by those who instigated
the war to justify themselves
by citing the rebellions of our
fathers against George the
Third, and of Cromwell against
Charles the First, and asked,
" What would have been thought
by an impartial historian of the
American rebellion against
George the Third if the colonies
had been more than equally rep-
resented in parliament, and
James Otis, and Patrick Henry,
and Washington, and Franklin,
and the Adamses, and men of
their stamp had for two genera-
tions enjoyed the confidence of
[52]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the sovereign, and had admin-
istered the government of the
empire? What would have been
thought of the rebellion against
Charles the First had Cromwell
and the men of his school been
his advisors?" And then he
showed how these men had,
when they precipitated the war,
control of both Houses of Con-
gress, and that not one assault
had been made upon them and
not one right invaded.
He showed, by citing the Con-
stitution, the supremacy given
by its framers to the general
Government, and how weak
and silly was the contention
that the general Government
was a mere "agency" of sov-
[53]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
ereign States, and how absurd
was the claim of the Confeder-
ates of justification for secession
when in control of both Houses
of Congress, and of everything in
their own States, on the state
rights theory — rights that had
never been invaded nor denied.
ME. EVEEETT'S EKDEAVOES TO
CONCILIATE THE SOUTH
Knowing as we did his his-
tory, how he had always, to his
own disadvantage, blighting at
times all hopes of political pre-
ferment, favored measures to
conciliate the South, it was al-
most pathetic to hear Mr. Ever-
ett exclaim: "A sad foreboding
of what would ensue if a war
should break out between the
[54]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
North and South has haunted
me through life, and led me,
perhaps too long, to tread in
the path of hopeless compro-
mise, in the fond endeavor to
conciliate those who were pre-
determined not to be concil-
iated."
MR EVERETT'S ADDRESS
CHARACTERIZED
It is not necessary to go fur-
ther into detail of Mr. Everett^s
address, a glimpse of which it
has been deemed proper to give,
in order to place the situation
clearly before us. Suffice it to
say that very soon after he be-
gan to speak he rose to a lofty
height of eloquence, which, con-
stantly holding the undivided
[55]
LINCOL N AT GETTYSBURG
and at times almost breathless
attention of his audience, he
sustained for two hours.
I can give no young man
who seeks to perfect himself
in literature better advice than
that he make a study of that
oration.
At the close of Mr. Everett's
address a solemn dirge written
by Mr. B. B. French, especially
for the occasion, was sung by
a hundred voices, after which
President Lincoln was intro-
duced to the great multitude.
ME. LINCOLN SPEAKS
When the President thus ap-
peared it was the first oppor-
tunity the people really had to
see him. There was the usual
[56]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
craning of necks, tlie usual ex-
clamations of "Down in front! "
the usual crowding to get places
to see, and much confusion. He
waited patiently for the audi-
ence to become quiet, and there
was absolute silence while he
spoke. He began in those high,
clarion tones, which the people
of Illinois had so often heard,
to which he held to the close.
His was a voice that, when he
made an effort, could reach a
great multitude, and he always
tried to make every one hear.
He held in his left hand two or
three pages of manuscript,
toward which he glanced but
once. He spoke with delibera-
tion, but cannot have continued
[57]
LINC OLN AT GETTYSBURG
more than three or four, some
said two, rainiites.
A moment's reflection will
convince any one that before
the great multitude of people,
nearly all of whom were stand-
ing, could have prepared them-
selves to listen intelligently —
before they had, I may say,
become poised, before their
thoughts had become sufficient-
ly centred upon the speaker to
take up his line of thought and
follow him — he had finished
and returned to his seat.
PEOPLE DISAPPOINTED IN
LINCOLN'S ADDEESS
So short a time was Mr. Lin-
coln before them that the people
could scarcely believe their eyes
[58]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
when lie disappeared from their
view. They were almost dazed.
They could not possibly, in so
short a time, mentally grasp
the ideas that were conveyed,
nor even their substance. Time
and again expressions of disap-
pointment were made to me.
Many persons said to me that
they would have supposed that
on such a great occasion the
President would have made a
speech. Every one thought, as
expressed by Mr. Wills four
days later (to which reference
has been made), that instead
of Mr. Lincoln's delivering an
address, he only made a very
few "dedicatory remarks."
We on the platform heard
[59]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
every word. And what did we
hear? A dozen commonplace
sentences, scarcely one of which
contained anything new, any-
thing that when stated was not
self-evident.
I am aware, because I noted
it at the time, that in the As-
sociated Press report, which
appeared in the morning pa-
pers, there were the punctua-
tions of "applause," "long con-
tinued applause," etc., according
to the invariable custom in those
days. Except when he con-
cluded, I did not observe it, and
at the close the applause was
not especially marked. The occa-
sion was too solemn for any kind
of boisterous demonstrations.
[60]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
WAED H. LAMON'S EECOLLECTION
OF HOW THE ADDEESS
WAS EECEIVED
In his "Kecollections of Ab-
raham Lincoln/^ edited by his
daughter — a very interesting
book — Ward Hill Lamon, Mar-
shal of the District of Columbia
(which position, besides the fact
of his being a most intimate
friend, brought him into con-
stant and close relation with
the President), says:
" On the platform from which
Mr. Lincoln delivered his ad-
dress, and only a moment after
it was concluded, Mr. Seward
turned to Mr. Everett and asked
him what he thought of the
President's speech. Mr. Ever-
[61]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
ett replied: 'It is not what I
expected from him. I am dis-
appointed.' Then in his turn
Mr. Everett asked, 'What do you
think of it, Mr. Seward?' The
response was, * He has made a
failure, and I am sorry for it.
His speech is not equal to him.'
Mr. Seward then turned to me
and asked, *Mr. Marshal, what
do you think of it?' I answered,
' I am sorry to say that it does
not impress me as one of his
great speeches.'"
FALSE EEPOETS THAT THE AUDI-
ENCE WEEE EXCITED
"In the face of these facts,"
continues Mr. Lamon, "it has
been repeatedly published that
this speech was received by the
[62]
HON. WILLIAM H. SEWARD
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
audience with loud demonstra-
tions of approval; that amid
the tears, sobs, and cheers it
produced in the excited throng,
the orator of the day, Mr. Ever-
ett, turned to Mr. Lincoln,
grasped his hand, and ex-
claimed, * I congratulate you on
your success ! ' adding in a trans-
port of heated enthusiasm, *Ah,
Mr. President, how gladly would
I give my hundred pages to be
the author of your twenty lines ! ^
"As a matter of fact," Mr.
Lamon goes on to say, "the si-
lence during the delivery of the
speech, and the lack of hearty
demonstrations of approval im-
mediately after its close, were
taken by Mr. Lincoln as certain
[63]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
proof that it was not well re-
ceived. In that opinion we all
shared. If any person then
present saw, or thought he saw,
the marvellous beauties of that
wonderful speech, as intelli-
gent men in all lands now see
them, his superabundant cau-
tion closed his lips and stayed
his pen."
WHY THE AUDIENCE WAS NOT
IMPRESSED
In concluding his comments
upon Mr. Lincoln's address, Mr.
Nicolay, in his "Century" ar-
ticle to which reference has
been made, says, ''They [the
hearers] were therefore totally
unprepared for what they heard,
and could not immediately re-
[64]
LINCOLN AT GETTY SBURG
alize that his words, and not
those of the carefully selected
orator, were to carry the con-
centrated thought of the occa-
sion like a trumpet peal to the
farthest posterity."
My own recollection, which
is more clear as to occurrences
in those troublous times, es-
specially those upon that occa-
sion, the responsibilities of
which devolved in a great de-
gree upon a board of which I
was a member, coincides with
that of Mr. Lamon and Mr.
Nicolay. It is true, as Mr.
Nicolay says, the hearers were
totally unprepared for what
they heard, and could not im-
mediately realize how able and
[65]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
far-reaching was Mr. Lincoln's
address. My recollection also
confirms that of Mr. Lamon,
that no one there present saw
the marvellous beauties of that
wonderful speech. I did not
hear the expressions of Mr.
Seward and Mr. Everett in re-
gard to it, as my seat was with
the members of our Commis-
sion, but from the expressions
of opinion I did hear, I have no
doubt that they were made.
I heard every word and every
articulation of Mr. Lincoln, and
had no realization that he did
anything more than make "a
few dedicatory remarks." His
expressions were so plain and
homely, without any attempt at
[661
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
rhetorical periods, and his state-
ments were so axiomatic, and,
I may say, matter of fact, and
so simple, that I had no idea
that as an address it was any-
thing more than ordinary.
ME. LINCOLN'S MANNEK AKD
BEARING
I was very much struck,
many times as I had heard him,
by the appearance of Mr. Lin-
coln when he arose and stood
before the audience. It seemed
to me that I had never seen any
other human being who was so
stately, and, I may say, majes-
tic, and yet benignant. His
features had a sad, mournful,
almost haggard, and still hope-
ful expression. Every one was
[67]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
impressed with his sincerity
and earnestness.
ANALYSIS OF LINCOLN'S ADDEESS
Short as is Mr. Lincoln's
Gettysburg address, it contains
all the elements of an elaborate
and finished oration, — exor-
dium, argument, climax, and
peroration. While each of
these divisions is far more ex-
tended in Mr. Everett's ora-
tion, they are not more marked
than in Mr. Lincoln's.
In his exordium, consisting
of five simple sentences, each
one of which recalls a fact ap-
parent to every hearer, he lays
foundations for the superstruc-
ture upon which he builds,
broad and deep.
[68]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
"Four score and seven years
ago our fathers brought forth
upon this continent a new na-
tion, conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal.
"Now we are engaged in a
great civil war, testing whether
that nation, or any nation, so
conceived and so dedicated, can
long endure. We are met on a
great battlefield of that war.
We are met to dedicate a por-
tion of it as the final resting
place for those who here gave
their lives that that nation
might live. It is altogether
fitting and proper that we
should do this."
After thus laying the founda-
[69]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
tion, he states tlie argument:
"But, in a larger sense, we
cannot dedicate — we cannot
consecrate — we cannot hallow
this ground. The brave men,
living and dead, who struggled
here have consecrated it far
above our power to add or de-
tract. The world will little
note, nor long remember, what
we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here. It
is for us, the living, rather to
be dedicated here to the unfin-
ished work that they have thus
far so nobly carried on.^^
And, to make the argument
stronger, to clinch it, as we would
say, he repeats, "It is rather
for us to be dedicated here to
[70]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the great task remaining before
us, — that from these honored
dead we take increased devotion
to the cause for which they
gave the last full measure of
devotion."
And then follows the climax:
*'That we here highly resolve
that the dead shall not have
died in vain."
And then the peroration:
"That the nation shall, under
God, have a new birth of free-
dom ; and that the government
of the people, by the people, and
for the people, shall not perish
from the earth."
I want to say in passing that
there was one sentence that
did deeply affect me — the
[71]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
only one in which the Presi-
dent manifested emotion. With
the close of that sentence his
lips quivered, and there was a
tremor in his voice which I
can never forget. I recall it
whenever I consider the ad-
dress. The sentence was, "The
world will little note, nor long
remember, what we say here,
but it can never forget what
they did here."
LINCOLN'S CHOICE OF WOKDS
A careful analysis shows
that Lincoln's Gettysburg ad-
dress contains thirty-two words
of Latin origin which with
repetitions of the same word,
or other forms of the same
word, make forty-six Latin de-
[72]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
rivatives, all told. There are
two hundred and sixty-seven
words in the address, leaving
the balance, two hundred and
twenty-one, Anglo-Saxon.
That is, one-fifth or twenty
per cent are Latin words, while
four-fifths or eighty per cent
are Anglo-Saxon.
"OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE,
AND FOE THE PEOPLE"
The phrase *' of the people, by
the people, and for the people"
was not original with Mr. Lin-
coln. There was considerable
comment at the time upon his
using it, which went so far that
it was insinuated that he was
guilty of wilful plagiarism —
that he took it from Webster's
[73]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
reply to Hayne. The matter
was thoroughly investigated by
Lamon, Nicolay, and others,
and it was found that the
phrase had been so often used
as to have become common
property. It appears substan-
tially as Mr. Lincoln used it in
Webster's reply to Hayne,
1830, in a work by James
Douglas, in 1825, and in the
Ehetorical Eeader by James
Porter in 1830. The phrase
was used by Theodore Parker
in an anti-slavery convention
at Boston, May, 1850, and sub-
stantially the same phrase was
used by Joel Parker in the
Massachusetts Constitutional
Convention in 1853. Long be-
[74]
JOHN G. NICOLA Y
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
fore Mr. Lincoln used the
phrase, it was used in other
languages. The first appear-
ance of it, so far as it has been
possible to ascertain, was in
the preface to the old Wickliffe
Bible, translated before 1384,
the year in which that bright
"morning star of the Eeforma-
tion" died. It is there de-
clared that, "this Bible is for
the government of the people,
by the people, and for the peo-
ple."
WHEN AKD HOW LINCOLN'S
ADDEESS BEGAN TO BE
APPKECIATED
On the next day after it was
delivered, November 20, the
address appeared in full, as
[75]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
has been said, in every leading
newspaper of the United States.
Even then, those who in a high
degree appreciated it were com-
paratively few. Some of us
who had heard it formed, as
we deliberately read it, a very
different idea of it from that
we had when it was delivered.
We had supposed and ex-
pected that the President
would, in what he said, simply
dedicate that ground to the
sacred purpose for which it
had been set apart.
We found that the portals of
the heart of the great President
were opened to such a degree
that all the people could see
and feel its pulsations and ap-
[76]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
predate the intensity of his
emotions, and the depths of his
feeling, and gain a conception
of the weight of the awful re-
sponsibilities that were upon
him, which he realized as did
no other human being.
As we read, it gradually
dawned upon us that the chief
executive of the great nation
had solemnly dedicated those
who heard him, and not merely
those who heard him, but all
his people, to the cause for
which the martyr heroes about
him died, and that this was the
underlying thought and object
of his address. Besides this,
we saw that the attention of
the country had been drawn in
[77]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
the most striking manner to the
foundation of the nation, and
how and when and why it was
established, and to the sublime
purpose of our fathers in bring-
ing it forth upon this continent.
The country was made to see
that the great Civil War, still
going on, was waged for the
purpose of testing whether not
only that nation, but "whether
any nation so conceived and so
dedicated, could long endure,"
and that it was for us to be
dedicated to the work remain-
ing to be done. This central
thought was in a few terse
sentences so engraved upon the
hearts of all that it could not be
effaced; and, after all this, the
[78]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
splendors, tind glories, and
worth to tlie people at large,
and the peril, of that nation and
of all free government were held
up and depicted before us by the
closing sentence, "that the gov-
ernment of the people, by the
people, and for the people, shall
not perish from the earth."
MR EVEEETT'S TESTIMONY
As was the case with others,
Mr. Everett, when he read the
address, began to realize (not
so fully as afterwards) some-
thing of its merits. On the
following day, in a note to the
President, mostly about other
matters, he said:
"Permit me also to express
my great admiration of the
[79]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
thought expressed by you with
such eloquent simplicity and
appropriateness at the conse-
cration of the cemetery. I should
be glad if I could flatter myself
that I came so near the central
idea of the occasion in two
hours as you did in two min-
utes."
TESTIMONY OF TEANSATLANTIC
WEITEES
But even then, while our
people began to appreciate
in some degree the high char-
acter of the address, we did not
realize how sublime it really
was. Not until it had been
read and commented upon on
the other side of the Atlantic
did we place it in our own
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LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
minds among the masterpieces.
I recollect distinctly how I was
impressed upon seeing a quota-
tion from the "Edinburgh Re-
view/' stating that no other
address, except that of Pericles
made in eulogy of the heroes of
the Peloponnesian war, could
begin to compare with it. The
London "Spectator," the "Sat-
urday Review' ' and several oth-
er English periodicals spoke of
it in the highest terms of com-
mendation.
These commendations, in some
degree, opened our eyes to its
merits.
In recalling these eulogies of
the address, and the expressions
of appreciation of its author
[81]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
which appeared in foreign
prints, I am reminded of the
lines, —
A man in whom his neighbors see
One hke themselves of common
mould,
May, to the thoughtful stranger, be
Among the great and wise enrolled.
In Vishna, clowns a shepherd saw —
Gods viewed the Lord of All with
awe.
CONCLUSION
In human achievement that
which is greatest in proportions
is not always the most sublime.
A traveller who had visited the
mighty structures along the
Nile — the pyramids, the tem-
ples, the palaces, the tombs,
which surpass in grandeur any
[82]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
others that have, so far as we
know, in all the ages been rear-
ed, at last found himself in a
little city of southern Europe,
standing upon an eminence be-
fore a structure so limited in
extent and amplitude as not to
compare in these regards with
the mighty edifices whose
grandeur had so filled his mind
with wonder and awakened in
his bosom emotions that over-
whelmed him. He was stand-
ing upon the Acropolis at Ath-
ens and contemplating the
Parthenon. In his travels and
study he had gained sufficient
knowledge of architecture to be
a connoisseur. As he made a
more careful examination and
[83]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
study of the wonderful temple,
its splendors and sublimity
gradually dawned upon him.
He found that in every element
of its construction, in form, in
grace, in beauty and strength
and character, and in the no-
bility and grandeur of all its
appointments, it far surpassed
everything he had hitherto
seen, every other architectural
achievement upon the face of the
earth. In this conclusion he was
and is confirmed by the general
concensus of opinion of the
world.
Philosophers and sages, men
of literary culture, who have
explored the labyrinths, stood
upon the heights and basked in
[84]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
tlie glories of the sublime crea-
tions of Demosthenes and Per-
icles and Cicero, of Burke and
Pitt and Brougham, of Webster
and Sumner and Everett, and in
the elaborate and finished tri-
umphs in oratory of all the
ages, are moved with similar
emotions to those of this trav-
eller in contemplating Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address. By uni-
versal consent it has become
the Parthenon of oratorical cre-
ation.
In the region round about
Athens, marble and cement
and clay and everything neces-
sary to the construction of an edi-
fice are as abundant and cheap
as the sods upon the prairie.
[85]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
To those commonplace materials
the inspired architect gave form
and beauty and strength and
life. Out of a few simple, plain,
commonplace sentences familiar
to all, President Lincoln con-
structed an oration that will be
the wonder and admiration of
the world for all time — ^the
crowning triumph of literary
achievement.
[86]
FIFTY TEAES AFTER
/^^ N a bright November .
^-^ afternoon of long ago,
when the autumn leaves were
tinged with a th ousand hues of
beauty, upon an eminence in
the midst of a great plain
bounded by lofty mountains,
I saw a vast concourse of men
and women. I saw among
them illustrious warriors, gifted
poets, and profound statesmen.
I saw ambassadors of mighty
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LINCOLN AT GETT YSBURG
empires, governors of great com-
monwealths, ministers of cabi-
nets, men of high position and
power. I saw above their
heads, upo n every hand, a
starry banner, drooping under
the weight of somb re drapery.
I saw men and women standing
among new-made graves, over-
whelmed with grief which they
vainly endeavored to conceal.
I knew that I was in the midst
of a people bowing under
great affliction, of a land
stricken with sorrow. I knew
"^ " [88]
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
that the tide of destruction and
death had not ceased to ebb
and flow, but that at that
moment the fate of my country
was trembling in the balance,
her only hope in the fortitude
and valor of her sons, who were
baring their breasts to storms
of shot and shell only a few
miles away.
I saw standing in the midst
of that mighty assembly a man
of majestic yet benignant mien,
of features worn and haggard,
but beaming with purity, with
^9f "
LINCOLN AT^ GETTYSBURG
patriotism, and with hope.
Every eye was directed towards
him, and, as men looked into
his calm, sad, earnest face, they
recognized the great President,
the foremost man of the world,
not only in position and power
but in all the noblest attributes
of humanity. When he essayed
to speak, such solemn silence
reigned as when, within conse-
crated walls, men and women
feel themselves in the pres-
ence of Deity. Each sen-
tence, slowly and earnestly
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
pronounced, as its full import
was apprehended, sank into
every patriotic heart, gave a
strange lustre to every face, and
nerved every arm. In those ut-
terances, the abstract, the con-
densation, the summing up of
American patriotism, were con-
tained the hopes, the aspirations,
the stern resolves, the consecra-
tion upon the altar of humanity,
of a great people.
From the hour of that solemn
dedication the final triumph of
the loyal hosts was assured.
_
LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG
As the Christian day by day
voices the sacred prayer
given him by his Savior,
so the American Patriot will con-
tinue to cherish those sublime
sentiments and inspired words.
While the Republic lives he will
continue to repeat them, and
while, realizing all their solemn
significance, he continues to re-
peat them, the Republic will live.
[92]